Travel- Christchurch

Christchurch is filled with many amazing opportunities, something I learnt recently. From parks you could spend all day in, to a unique way to travel through the city. Seeing as there are so many great places to visit that not many people would think to go to, I’ve decided to share my experience in hope of giving others ideas for an enjoyable trip into the city.

While planning our day we needed to find a form of transport, walking from point A to B would be tiring if we were to do it throughout the whole day. We then found the Christchurch Tram, a way to move through the the city I highly recommend. With seventeen different stops to get on and off at, the tram makes getting around Christchurch simple. Add on the interesting information given to you by the tram driver during the ride, the Tram is the best option.

 

Now you have a form of transportation you need somewhere to go. The first place I went to happens to also have been my favorite. The museum is a hard place to miss when considering going to Christchurch, but most of my group was unaware of the amazing exhibition inside. If you ever get some spare time, you need to go to the Air New Zealand 75yr exhibit. With a variety of interactive activities this is the best way to go. My personal highlight was definitely the virtual reality I took part in, which everyone should try.

 

The new addition to Christchurch, The Margaret Mahy Playground will definitely have caught your eye if you went for a day out. So instead of selling you this park which should already be on your agenda, I will instead give you a few tips about what you must do. The water section is great for kids, so long as you don’t mind them getting wet. The twisting slide that draws your attention first, gets a bit cramped near the top when you’re getting up. The slide down is well worth it though.

After such tiring activities you’re going to need a break for lunch. If the proud advertising surrounding

the shipping container mall settled near the middle of the city didn’t draw you in, then the promise of food should. The mall offers you plenty of choices on both the food and shopping front, though located next to the Cozy Cafe is a set of signs that I wouldn’t advise thinking about for too long.

Now if you plan to head to Christchurch there is a very tiny chance that you haven’t heard about the earthquakes. While devastating natural occurrences, they have proven to be an intriguing subject many have wanted to learn more about. If you happen to be someone who does wish to know more, Quake City is definitely something you should check out. With a spot to make your own earthquake, video footage to examine and a section to build your own house from Lego, they have something for everyone.

I came across too much on my day in Christchurch to out into this, but having shared with you some must see places I hope it inspires you to take another look at the city. It’s evolving every day and new things to see just keep popping up. So I hope if you make a trip through this ever expanding place you find it as enjoyable as I have.

Mt Grey

I finally did my mountain! With the help of my mom and Mr B I walked to the top of  Mt Grey.  The way up was slippery, not ideal climbing conditions at all. However, I much preferred it down there once we arrived at the top. There was so much wind and no shelter. To make matters worse the top wasn't as close as we thought it'd be once we came out of the trees. After a grueling trudge to the actual top we waited for a bit, snacking on some food. We then found a road down, a much nicer way compared to the sloped path that twisted, no surface to really grip to. We ate lunch, then began our trek down. We finally arrived back to the car at 4 PM. The trip was fun, don't get me wrong, climbing up mountains isn't at all my strong suit.

Pink Walk

This year I decided to do the Pink Walk once again, and it was just as fun as last year. I raised, with the help of my mom, $383. It was a great cause to be walking for and I'm glad I did it. I walked alongside Zoe and Piper for a small section near the start but I lost them in the crowd while going to get a drink of water. I hope I'll be able to participate in it next year.

Here's a photo of us before the walk.

Hockey

For my hobby in the 2016 WPCA I chose Hockey, and I'm extremely glad I did. I enjoyed participating in Summer hockey alongside with the club hockey I did in Winter. Apparently, I did a great job because at the end of winter hockey we held a prizegiving. Turns out that I'm the most improved player.

Kayaking

On the 9th of November all of the Yr 8's, including myself, went all the way to Christchurch for kayaking. I was placed in a group that I would remain with for the rest of the day. The day moved quickly, with us all trying to steer our kayaks properly and ending up bumping into others anyway. During one of our activities we had to stand up in our kayak, it turns out that I have terrible balance because as soon as I tried I promptly fell into the water. Though, I redeemed myself later in the day by successfully standing up. It was at the end of the day when my favourite part occurred, Jack and Eb had decided that pushing a kayak down the bank, while in it, would be great fun. After failing in a few of their first attempts I was called to help. I proceeded to spend the majority of the time left pushing other people in kayaks, though I did get a turn myself.

Overall, I had a blast kayaking and now it's safe to say I've finished all my WPCA Activities. 

Covert Mission

For Writing we have been working with a partner or independently to create a Pick-A-Path. I chose to do mine on a mission. I tried my very best to keep the main character gender neutral, so I haven't put any strictly female or male descriptions in there. If you notice any please tell me so I may change them. 

Hope you enjoy my slide.

Lake Daniels

Lake Daniels*

It all started with the long drive, winding and hurtling down roads. Not quite racing to our starting point. It was an amusing car ride to say the least, and I was getting excited as we drove on. It was around 5-6 when we arrived and began piling food onto our flimsy plates. The looks on everyone's face when we found the pasta was still warm is still etched into my memory.

Once we'd all finished and Westport arrived we were split up (much to my dismay) into two groups. However, it mildly redeemed itself when I noticed I had Haylley, Anna, Brooklyn and Hayato to keep me company. This is when the painful yet hilarious trek in the dark started.

At first the path was easy to spot, no need for the headlamps and torches we had put on earlier in preparation. This was also when we weren't getting pain in our feet or bored enough to start up games. It was then I decided to complete the challenge we had been given. We were to find someone (we didn't know, so sadly I couldn't pull a trick) and learn 3 facts about them.

I found Coral and discovered her and her mother came from england when she was 16, her favorite track is the Heffy because the scenery changes and she knew a girl who winged her entire speech and got through. It turned out later that no one would check of we actually did it.

It was a few minutes after that, that the Boredom settled in. And the chaotic singing erupted from our little cluster, which I can say proudly, was at the very front of everybody. All through the track we were belting out lyrics, and singing off key. We were running off of the adrenaline that came with the very loud, very out of tune songs. It was a blur for most of the track, except when we were filmed doing our little haka.

My feet were beginning to hurt, the ache setting in as we settled into walking along a flat path. It was just as we were starting to voice our complaints when we heard the sound of ducks. The normally irritating noise, I figured out, meant we were likely near a source of Water. A Lake to be more precise. Mere seconds later our little section was sprinting towards the sight of a cabin.

After snacking on some food, I decided that this was definitely enough for one day. Sadly, I was the one of few who did that. Everyone else kept on talking and talking.

Then, magically produced by the power of sleep, it was morning! And we all very slowly woke up. I quickly consumed y up and go, along with some of food before choosing a spot on the bench. After I had claimed said spot Lachlan, Jack and EB made an appearance. Absolutely soaking wet. They had. Either bravely or due to some bad choices had decided to go into the lake.

More Walking occurred. Jokes were said. Things were lost. Those things were found. We walked faster. We met some men with brooms. Then the trees stopped.

We had finished. Technically.

*Doesn't include the Lewis Pass